HCQ failed to reduce mortality rate: WHO

Geneva : A World Health Organisation (WHO) expert said that the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) will be stopped from the Solidarity Trial, as it did not reduce the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients.

"Based on the analysis and on the review of the published evidence, the executive group of the Solidarity/recovery trial has after the deliberation concluded that hydroxychloroquine arm will be stopped from the Solidarity Trial," Ana Maria Henao Restrepo, Medical Officer, Department of Immunization Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO said on Wednesday here.

"The internal evidence from the Solidarity discovery trial, the external evidence from the Recovery trial, and the combined evidence from these large randomized trials bring together, suggest that hydroxychloroquine, when compared with the standard of care in the treatment of hospitalized COVID patients, does not result in the reduction of the mortality of those patients," Xinhua news agency quoted the Officer as saying.

Meanwhile, Restrepo emphasized that this does not constitute a WHO policy and that this is not a WHO policy recommendation.

"This is focus on what we are doing on the Solidarity Trial on randomisation for COVID patients, but does not apply outside that, and it doesn't constitute WHO policy -- WHO has different processes for developing of guidelines," she added.